“Join us for a Guided Tour of the U-M Clements Library. Current Exhibit: Revolutionary Paine. April 24, 4-5 pm. Free & open to the public!” Satirical illustration of Thomas Paine.

Celebrate National Library Week with a guided tour of the Clements Library this Friday, April 24 from 4-5 pm, and view our student-curated exhibit “Revolutionary Paine” during its last few weeks on display! myumi.ch/9pEWX

#NationalLibraryWeek #FreeEvent #GuidedTour

Colorful cartoon characters made of playful objects surround the text "Play the Summer Game 2026" in white text on a blue background. Characters include a donut, popcorn, and a pinball machine. The event dates are June 9 to August 30. A colorful logo for play.aadl.org is in the bottom left corner.

Meet the crew! We can’t explain them…but we love them. 🫶

THE 2026 AADL SUMMER GAME BEGINS TUESDAY, JUNE 9!!!

Guests in formal wear in the Avenir Foundation Room of the Clements Library.

Student sitting on the portico of the Clements Library sketching the details of the building.

🎉: The reception for the Clements Library’s 75th anniversary seen from the mezzanine overlooking the Avenir Foundation Room, June 1998.

✏️: Architecture first-year student Nicole McCall sketches on the steps of the Clements Library. Photo by Kristen Schaeffer, 10/1/1996.

Man looking at ship model.

Woman writing notes while working through piles of manuscript letters.

🚢: LSA senior Alex Hovan views a display at the Clements Library. Photo by Steve Gertz, 6/15/1998.

♀️: Rachel Onuf works to archive the Clements Library’s collections of manuscripts and letters by and relating to women. Photo by Sara Stillman, 3/11/1998.

Exhibit displaying 19th century materials relating to Black activist movements.

📚: The Clements Library’s collection of 19th century documents details the experiences of free African Americans and how they reacted to political and social change. Photo by Stephanie Grace Lim, 1/24/1996.

Jan Longone posing with cookbooks.

🧑‍🍳: Jan Longone, owner of the Wine and Food Library in Ann Arbor, marked the 200th anniversary of the first American cookbook by Amelia Simmons (published 1796) with the display titled “American Cookery: The Bicentennial 1796-1996.” 8/15/1996.

Main painting a window of the Clements Library.

🪟: Jim Horn, an employee of the U-M’s plant department, paints a window in front of the Clements Library. Photo by Michelle Guy, 9/15/1992.

Man looking at a map in an exhibit display case.

🗺️: Greg Kinney, an archivist at the Bentley Library, examines a map being shown in the Clements Library exhibit titled “American Firsts.” Photo by Jennifer Bradley Swift, 11/8/1996.

Young man jumping off of the steps of the Clements Library in rollerskates.

🛼: Justin Finnicum, an SNRE junior, leaps down the steps of the Clements Library on his rollerblades. Photo by Elizabeth Lippman, 9/14/1993.

Library main hall filled with historic furniture and shelves of rare books.

📷: The main hall of the Clements Library (now the Avenir Foundation Reading Room), designed in 1922, contains many historical items and is used to house special exhibitions and lectures. Photo by Louis Brown, 10/2/1998.

Have you ever wondered what the Clements Library was like in the 90’s? 🤔

Images sourced from the Michigan Daily Digital Archives via the Bentley Historical Library, the Michigan Daily, & the U-M Library, details below.

#FlashbackFriday #90s #UMichHistory

"'Lizzie' and Arnold. Ward H. Second Med." Nurse in a hospital ward.

"Weill Bas Trio. (And a hard set they were!)" Three nurses seated in a garden outside of a hospital.

"When I was nursing Gray." Photo of a nurse outdoors.

"A case of typhoid" Nurse holding a medical device by a bed.

Today is World Health Day and we are honoring the health care workers whose efforts to keep us well in our times of need, including these wonderful nurses featured in a recently acquired photo album.

📷: San Francisco Nurses Photo Album, ca. 1899-1906

Postcard of a bunny playing a trumpet, reading music notes off of an egg. “A Cheerful Easter.”

Hoppy Easter, Wolverines 💐

🐇: General Ephemera Collection, 1700s-1900s

“Life on the Moon in Two Acts” by Sierra Laddusaw, Curator of Maps & Graphics, draws comparisons between this iconic moment sometimes thought to be a hoax and “The Great Moon Hoax” of 1835. Read more here: myumi.ch/4mAnD

Copy of the transcription of the commentary among Buzz Aldrin, Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins, and NASA Mission Control that was provided to reporters shortly after the 1969 moon landing.

#DidYouKnow that the Clements Library holds a copy of the transcription of the commentary among Buzz Aldrin, Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins, and NASA Mission Control that was provided to reporters shortly after the 1969 moon landing?

#MoonMission

#DidYouKnow that the birthday song we all know and love was copyrighted in 1935, a year after Mr. Clements passed away? There is a chance that when we brought him a piece of cake and sang happy birthday to him, we were the first to ever do so!

Portrait of William L. Clements, edited to include a birthday cake with candles reading “165,” balloons, a birthday hat, and a banner reading “Happy birthday."

William L. Clements’ tombstone, with a container of strawberry shortcake resting on it.

Happy birthday, Mr. Clements! 🎂🎁 Today we celebrate you on what would have been your 165th birthday.

"This is who wrote this post!" Photo of a young child.

"This is who reshelves materials and helps readers use them safely!" Photo of a young girl.

"This is who writes manuscript finding aids, making history accessible!" Black and white photo of a young girl.

"This is who raises funds to support the mission of the library! (And her silly twin sister)" Photo of two young girls taking a family portrait, one smiling wide.

"This is who expands the searchability and accessibility of our digital catalog!" Photo of a smiling young girl.

"This is who answers your reference requests!" Photo of a young child with blue candy around their mouth.

"This is who gets excited about new graphics collections!" Photo of a young girl painting.

"This is who organizes hundreds and hundreds of pieces of ephemera!" Photo of a young girl with baking soda on her clothing.

"This is who schedules your research appointments!" Photo of a young boy.

"This is who builds our map and graphics collections. She's always got her eye on the prize!" Photo of a young girl with her fingers around her eyes like binoculars.

"This is who runs the Clements Library!" Black and white photo of a young boy.

"This is who makes American history relatable and exciting!" Photo of a young girl.

"This is who assists researchers in the Avenir Foundation Reading Room!" Photo of a young girl.

"This is who welcomes visitors to the Clements Library!" Sepia photo of a young girl.

"This is who plans classes for U-M students and runs the fellowship program! She has always loved cats!" Photo of young girl with drawn on whiskers and a black nose.

"This is who creates bonds between the Clements and our generous donors!" Photo of children in a snow mobile, with an arrow pointing to the child seated in the back.

"This is who spends hours on the Clements image bank searching for collections to highlight on social media!" Photo of a young girl.

Meet the staff of the Clements Library!

#LibraryWork #GoBlue

Purchase Wood’s book from UNCPress with discount code 01SOCIAL30!

The talk will be held in the Hatcher Gallery, but you can also cozy up with a beverage at home at watch over Zoom! Learn more here: myumi.ch/mR96E

“Drinking the Revolution. Taverns and the Post-Revolutionary Republican Experiment. March 26, 4-5:30 pm. Hatcher Gallery.” Portrait of Kirsten E. Wood and the cover of her book “Accommodating the Republic: Taverns in the Early United States.”

Kirsten Wood, historian and author of “Accommodating the Republic: Taverns in the Early United States,” will present later this week on the years following the Revolutionary War, when Americans continued to use their neighborhood taverns as sites for gathering and political mobilization. 🍻

“Mail Time at South Bayou Hamlin Lake, Ludington, Mich.” Real photo postcard of a dog inside a mailbox.

A special delivery on this National Puppy Day🐶📬

🐕: David V. Tinder Collection of Michigan Photography, Real Photo Postcard Series

#NationalPuppyDay #Puppy #MichiganPhotography #OldPostcard

Real photo postcard of children and adults swimming at the Barletts Bathing Beach on Lake Jackson, MI.

Despite today’s cloudy weather, spring is finally here! 🏊☀️

📷: David V. Tinder Collection of Michigan Photography, Real Photo Postcard Series

#SpringTime #Swimming #HistoricPhotography #MichiganPhotography #OldPostcards

Green postcard with the message “Bring my pipe and fill its bowl. That I may puff to sooth my soul. For it is sure to clear my brain, and bring old memories back again” written in the smoke coming out of a pipe depicting a harp. Three clovers along the bottom, one with “Dear Irish Memories” written on the leaves.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

☘️: General Ephemera Collection

#StPatricksDay #Ephemera #Postcard #OldPostcard

Pop-Up Exhibit: Detroit Observatory - UM Clements Library In collaboration with the Detroit Observatory, staff of the Clements Library will have a pop-up exhibit on March 13 from 6-9 pm. Visit the Detroit Observatory to learn about the Clements Library's ast...

Clements staff will be present between 6-9 pm, and the Observatory will be open between 12-11 pm. Learn more here: myumi.ch/D8j2M

Print of the Detroit Observatory of the University of Michigan.

The William L. Clements Library will be joining the Detroit Observatory the evening of Friday, March 13. Stop by our pop-up exhibit to see early astronomy photography and education materials, documentation on how telescopes were manufactured, and commentary from the Apollo 11 moon mission! 🌕🔭

These stylish ladies and their outfits can be found in the General Ephemera Collection, book a research appointment to see these vintage paper dolls in person!